Vacuum cleaner



1 1939. a. c. MILNER, JR. ET AL 2,176,467

VACUUM CLEANER Filed May 4, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 3nventor c ;g udew m(Itton wg Oct. 17, 1939.

B. c. MILNER. JR. ET AL VACUUM CLEANER Filed May 4, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Zimaentors 9 39, B. c. MILNER. JR. AL 2,176,467

VACUUM CLEANER Filed May 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 3nventor ade/$1.04flag/4; 8g $a4 'amim Z1 Patented Oct. 17, E939 UNITED STATES VACUUMCLEANER Benjamin 0. Milner, Jr and Frederick Riebci,

Jr., Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Air-Way Electrio Appliance Corporation,Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1935, SerialNo, 19,8053

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the type embodying a hollowsuction handle and a valve for connecting the suction fan selectivelyeither to said handle or to the floor tool, and has as its object toimprove upon such type of cleaner by arranging the fan and fan casing asa fixed part of the floor tool, and providing for pivoting of the handleand bag assembly and relieving of strain on the bag while retaining thedistinctive hollow handle and valve features.

The general object in providing the above arrangement, is to place theweight 'of the motor and fan upon the floor tool truck, so that theoperator in carrying the handle need carry the weight of only the handleand the bag.

Another object of the invention is to provide in such a cleaner anarrangement in which there is a dust tight flexible tube connectionbetween the fan case discharge outlet and the inlet neck of a porouspaper bag, restrained from transmitting any strain to the bag, when thehandle is moved, and arranged to offer virtually no resistance topivoting of the handle. The flexible tube outlet has the advantage overa swivelled elbow outlet in that it can be made absolutely dust tight,but creates the problems of transmitting strain and resisting handlepivoting, which the present invention overcomes.

In this connection, the present invention also contemplates the use ofthe structural feature which solves these two problems, to confer anadded advantage, namely, that of delivering the dust laden air stream tothe bag at such a height as to eliminate the possibility of the dirtaccumulating in the path of the incoming dust stream.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in such a cleanerembodying a flexible tube delivery connection between fan case and bag,an arrangement wherein the handle may be moved from normal operationposition (from 45 to 60 from the vertical) to an upstanding verticalposition for storage purposes, without placing undue strain upon thetube.

The invention further contemplates an arrangement in which the flexibledelivery conduit is subjected to a downward flexing strain when thehandle is in normal operating position, whereby the conduit helps tosupport the weight of the handle and bag and provides a cushioned stopfor limiting theg downward movement of the handle at a position somewhatbelow normal operating position.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in such a cleaner, anarrangement wherein the fan motor is adapted to drive not only the fanbut a rotary agitator as well, with a short, untwisted belt. To thisend, the fan case and motor are disposed on top of the floor tool withtheir axis parallel to that of the rotary agitator.

Another object is to provide such a cleaner wherein the handle pivotsaround the suction directing valve, on the axis of themotor and fan.

Another object is to provide an arrangement wherein the position of thefan case allows the discharge outlet to leave the fan case on a truetangent and at the same time to be directed up' wardly and rearwardly insubstantial alignment with the bag inlet, i. e., substantially parallelto the handle.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention, a part of theouter bag removed to illustrate the interior parts.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the floor tool.

Fig. 3 is a central transverse vertical sectional view of the floortool.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the floor tool.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the coupling conduit.

Fig. 6 is'a side elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the floor tool of Fla.d.

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical sectionai view oi the latter floor tool.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of the latter floortool.

Fig. 10 is a partial side elevation of another modification of theinvention.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 12 is a partial side elevation of another modification or" theinvention.

The form of the invention shown inclusive, comprises a floor tool assehandle assembly B, and a bag assembly a.

The floor tool assembly A includes the suction chamber it surmounted bythe fan and motor housing it formed integrally therewith. Wheel socketsl2 and it formed as rearward projections of suction chamber andfan-motor housing respectivelyfhouse front wheels Id and rear Wheel l5respectively. A height adjustment the (Fig. 10) is provided for raisingand lowering the floor tool relative to the supporting surface.

In the suction chamber I0 is a rotary agitator l6 which may be of thesame general construction as that illustrated in U. S. Patent 2,102,221,and detachably mounted in mountings ii such as those illustrated in thatprior application. The belt pulley i8 is at one end of the agitator, andis driven by a short untwisted belt 19 which receives its power from adrive pulley 26 on the shaft 2| of the fan motor 22. 1

The motor 22 is carried in a compartment 23 of the housing ii. The fancase 24 forms one end of the compartment 23, and is separated from thesuction chamber I0, except where its inlet, or eye 25 communicates withthe suction chamber through the valve 26 and suction chamher throat 21.The fan 39 operates in the fan casing 24, being mounted on the shaft'2l.

The valve 26 is cylindrical and is rotatably or oscillatably mounted inthe handle knuckle 28. The latter in turn is oscillatably mounted in thevalve casing 29, a member complementary to the fan case 24, insymmetrical relation thereto. The knuckle 28 may be journalled either bymeans of the socketing in the bearing portion 29a of the casing 29,(Fig. 3) or by means of a shaft 30 journalled in bearings 3| in thedummy compartment '32, designed to symmetrically complement thecompartment 23.

The handle knuckle 28 is formed with a handle socket 33 in which issecured the lower end of the hollow handle, 34. An opening 35 in theperiphery of the valve 26 provides communication between the socket 33,(which is open at its lower endsee Fig. 3) and the interior of the valve26, when the latter is in the proper position.

An opening 36 in the periphery of the valve 26 provides communicationbetween the suction chamber throat 21 and the interior of the valve 26when the latter is in another position.

' An operating knob 31 secured to the valve 26, extends through a slot38 in the periphery of the knuckle 28, and projects up between thespaced casings 24 and 29 where it is accessible to the operator. When atthe rear extremity of the slot 38, the knob determines the positioningof the valve for applying the suction to the floor tool, as shown inFig. 3. When it is at the forward extremity of the slot 38, the valve isin position for applying the suction to the hollow handle.

When the knob 31 is in the normal position shown in Fig. 3, the handlemay be swung from normal to upstanding position without disturbing thevalve setting relative to the handle knuckle 28 since the valve element26 will move with the knuckle. When the knob is in its other position,however, movement of the handle to vertical position will move the knobback to its normal position since the knob will engage against the upperbearing portion 29a of the valve casing 29, and will thereby force thevalve element 26 to remain stationary while the handle knuckle 28rotates around it. Storing the cleaner with the handle upstanding will,therefore, cause the valve to be set for normal operation the nexttime'the cleaner is used.

The fan case is arranged so that its discharge outlet 40 is positionedon its rear side, the axis of the outlet inclining upwardly andrearwardly substantially parallel to but inclining upwardly a somewhatsteeper angle than the normal position of the handle 34. In thisposition it is correctly tangential to the fan case periphery so as togive the highest efficiency of discharge."

The bag assembly C includes an inner porous paper filtering bag 4|, anouter supporting cover 42 of strong permeable material such as cloth orperforated composition sheeting, and the flexible tube delivery conduit43. The latter is attached at its lower end to the fancase outlet 40, asby means of a. coupling collar II, and at its upper end, to the handle34 by means of a bracket 44 which constrains its upper end to move inunison with the handle...

A bag coupling 45, such as that shown in Patent Reissue 18,962, has itsneck end socketed in the collar 46 of the bracket 44, and its mouth endin position to receive and secure the neck 41 of the paper bag 4|. Theneck 41 is formed in an offset in the side edge of the bag, at aassembly 56,

substantial distance from both-upper and lower ends of the bag, althoughit may be on either side of the mid-point.

The conduit 43 is preferably constructed (Fig. of tubing embodying acoil spring 48 forming a skeleton around which.is vulcanized animpervious wall 48 of rubber, or rubber and fabric, or other equivalentflexible material. The collar H has a threaded portion 50 which engagesthe convolutions of the spring to secure it firmly to the tubing. 7

The bag cover 42 completely encloses the conduit 43, and has a neck 5|which is secured, as by means of a sewed-in ring 52, around the collarII. It has a longitudinal mouth, defined by a slide fastener 53, whichis located in registry with the conduit 43 so as to render the coupling45 accessible. The upper end of the cover is suspended by a fastenerelement 54 engaged by a releasable latch device 55 which normally exertstension against the bag. Push ing the latch 55 downwardly releases thetension. The latch may be mounted as part of a switch such as that shownin Patent 1,905,059. The lower region of the bag is supported by theconduit 43 which in turn is supported by the handle 34 and the fan caseoutlet 40.

The foregoing described arrangement of fan case outlet, handle, bag, andconnecting conduit, produces a large number of advantages. The conduitallows the handle and bag assembly to move relative to the fancase,without transmitting any strain whatsoever to the paper bag 4|. Byextending the tube to about midway between the ends of the bag, it maybe made long enough to allow the bracket 44 to move freely relative tothe fan case outlet 40 without offering substantial resistance to suchmovement, and will allow the small increase in distance between thebracket 44 and outlet 40 which will be occasioned by raising the handleto an upstanding position. -To facilitate this end, the conduit may beinitially placed under some compression, causing it to assume a bowedposition somewhat as shown in Fig. l, or the upwardly bowed positionshown may be attained simply by arranging the outlet 48 at a steeperinclination than that of the handle in its lowered position, as alreadynoted. As the handle moves upwardly, the conduit may then straighten outand thence pass to an oppositely bowed position allowing the handle tostand vertically.

Another advantage is the delivery of the dirt into the upper region ofthe bag, so that the incoming air stream need not pass through theaccumulated litter which falls to the bottom of the collecting pocket 51defined below the offset.

.The region of the bag above the offset thus delivered from the conduit.

The outlet,40, being tangential to the fan case periphery andsubstantially aligned with the neck 41 of the bag, gives virtuallystraight line of delivery from the interior of the fan case into saidneck, which compensates for the increased lift occasioned by deliveryinto the upper region of the bag, and assures the dirt being carriedpast the coupling 45.

The conduit serves as a cushioning stop to support the handle at thelower limit of its movement. Being bowed under tension when the handleis in its lowered position, it also helps to support the weight of thehandle and bag when the handle is in normal operating position.

The fan case and suction chamber travel as a unit, supported by thewheels I! and IS. The fan case is arranged behind the suction chamber,with its periphery in the lowermost plane of the fioor tool, whereby ithas minimum height. Its

axis is closely parallel to the axis of the rotary enables forming thefancase as an integral partof the floor tool. It produces, as a naturalresult of the interior constructional features, an external design whichis quite pleasing.

The suction chamber, being of less height than the fan case, is disposedpartly beneath the latter so that it need not project full widthforwardly of the fan case, and yet allows the periphery of the latter toextend to the lowermost plane of its mouth.

In the modification of the invention shown in Figs. 6-9 inclusive, theconstruction is the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1-5inclusive, with the following exceptions:

The handle, instead of pivoting around the valve 26, is pivoted to aduct as which communicates with the valve casing 29. A. swivelconnection is formed by a flange ti on the elbowed lower end ofthehollow handle socket 33a, rotatably' received in the laterallydirected elbow 62 on the rear end ofthe duct to, and retained by aninturned flange 63. The floor tool casting may be split horizontallyalong a plane indicated by the line 64, so as to enable assembling thisswivel joint.

The handle socket 33a may be forked to inseparate motor 66, housed inthe compartment.

32 in alignment with and opposition to the fan motor 22. Here thearrangement secures the.

advantage of placing a secondary motor where it occupies no additionalspace, and where its casing is perfectly symmetrical to the fan motorcasing.

The positioning of the fan case on a horizontail axis parallel to thefloor tool, is of particular importance in connection with the useof thelong flexible tube conduit delivery to the upper region of the bag, forthe reason that it makes it, possible to have a tangential outletdirectly aligned with the conduit.

The fan case outlet, instead of being on the underside of the fancasing, as in the two forms of the invention just described, may belocated on the top of the fan casing as shown in Figs. 10

and 11. In this case, the lower extremity of the .nonduitjkis preferablypositioned above the are of the 'hinged connection between handle 34 andthe floor tool, so that as the handle is moved upwardly, the upper endof the conduit will move from one side to' the other ,of the projectedcenter line connecting the hinge axis and the lower end of the conduit,thus keeping the'pull against the conduit at a minimum. Anotheradvantage is the greater height at which the discharge from the fancasing outlet takes place.

With the exception of the features just described, the device of Fig. 10is the same as that of Fig. 6.

The device shown in Fig. 12', is thesame as that of Fig. loexcept thatthe conduit is arranged so that. in normal operating position it isbowed below the projected axis of its lower end, so that when the handleis raised, it will pass from said position below to a position abovesaid axis, thus reducing the amount of bowing in any one direction, to aminimum;

The bag of Fig. 6 has the upper regions of its side walls hinged forlateral swinging on an axis at 'rightangles to the longitudinal axis ofthe bag, about half way between its ends. To this end, the fabric ofthese upper wall regions is secured to a pair of bows '52 the upper endsof which are hinged tit-i3 to the collar t6 and the lower ends of whichare hinged to each other at N.

Fingers 15 projecting from the upper corners of the bows F2, are engagedby the two latch elements 55, for closing the upper end of the bag. Thusthe upper wall regions may be either, inde-= pendently, or both,detached from their respective latch elements, and opened outwardly. Thelatch elements in this case are resiliently urged toward the bag, andare pulled outwardly to release the bag.

We claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a door tool, a suction creating unit mounted onsaid fioor tool, a handle pivtally connected to the suction unit, asubstantlally rectangular filter unit suspended from a said handle andhaving an inlet, said filter unit having one of its longitudinal edgesadjacent said handle, said suction creating unit provided with anoutlet, said inlet to said filter being placed substantially midway oneof the longitudinal edges of said filter, a bracket rigidly secured tosaid handle substantially midway one of the lon gitudinal edges of saidfilter, and a flexible tube disposed immediately beneath said handle andconnecting said suction outlet and said filter inlet, said bracketfirmly holding the upper end of said tube, said tube being bowedupwardly and contacting said handle and having a stillness sufficient tonormally maintain said handle and filter in an elevated position.

2. In a portable suction cleaner, 8. floor tool, a fan unit and a motorfor driving said fan unit mounted on said floor tool, said fan unithaving an exhaust, a handle supported on and swingable relatively ofsaid floor tool and fan motor, a bag supported by and swingable withsaid handle, and having an inlet, a bracket rigidly attached to saidhandle and positioned adjacent said inlet, flexible tubing meansconnecting said-fan exhaust and said bag inlet, said bracket holding thebag inlet end of said tube in position relative to said handle, saidmeans being bowed upwardly and contacting said handle and having astiffness suflicient to normally maintain said handle in an elevatedposition and disposed immediately beneath said handle.

, B. C. MIINER, Jn.

FREDERICK RIEBHI, JR.

